The Influence of the Ocean Prohibition Policy on Today’s Maritime Sensibility

Background: This study was initiated to predict future developments in the maritime field and to understand marine design and maritime sensibility. We aim to derive necessary implications for the maritime sector by comparing the maritime sensibility of our population with that of other countries. This research investigates whether modern maritime sensibility is related to the Ocean Prohibition Policy that was enforced for over 500 years throughout the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. Methods: To achieve the purpose of the study, we collected and analyzed qualitative data through the analysis of prior research and expert interviews. Additionally, we conducted a qualitative research analysis through a phenomenological research approach. We found that ocean-related literature has mainly focused on land-centered thinking, agrarian-centered thinking, Yangban-centered thinking, and ocean exclusion. The current study used text mining for sentiment analysis to determine whether these concepts persist today. We set agriculture, fishing, returning to farming, and fishing as the main comparison keywords for text mining. Results: The analysis revealed that the Korean people still maintain a land-oriented and agricultural-oriented sensibility, and are passive about the sea. Furthermore, the findings suggested that people perceive the sea as dangerous and hold a tendency to reject it. Conclusion: This study reveals that the maritime prohibition policy of the Joseon Dynasty had a significant negative impact on today's maritime sensibility and is deeply interconnected. It is our hope that this research will provide useful guidelines and contribute to the future development of the maritime field and various related studies.